Coming soon: Share your fitting-room experience with friends, family, or anyone with Internet access. 

If you’re thinking like we are, you might recall watching episodes of The Jetsons and other futuristic science fiction programs and balking at the almost surreal-like experiences related through them.  Well, possibly in the not-so-distant future, new technology will enable shoppers to send images from their fitting rooms anywhere in the world via the Web through a site called Shoptogether.com, which is not yet functional.  This new technology was announced at the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Convention & Expo in New York.

Here’s how it works.  Shoppers will try on clothing in their fitting rooms, then walk into a common area with an interactive three-way mirror located nearby.  This mirror, called the Magic Mirror will communicate with the shopper’s cell phone using infrared technology, and the shopper would then be able to establish a Shoptogether session and show off his or her potential new wares to anyone in the world. 

People on the other end of the connection would, in turn, be able to offer comments such as “I love that outfit!”, “It’s not your color,” or others, which would be displayed directly on the interactive mirror for shoppers to see.  Here are some of my own personal suggestions.

“The limitation of vertical stripes has been reached.”

“You look like Rainbow Brite.”

“This is neither Paris nor New York, so that will only garner odd looks here in [insert city here].”

The collaborators would then be able to peruse other items available for trying on via the store’s web site and offer further help. 

Humor aside, the generation gap between those who grew up with the Internet and those who did not seems to dictate whether people will embrace this technology or not.  Mothers have expressed concern that people will have unauthorized access to the Magic Mirror, and perhaps perverts will be able to see their underage daughters changing.  This concern is less so for young people, who think the technology is cool and convenient.  Because many youths are insecure about their shopping choices, having collective input from their peers would help them in making the ‘right’ fashion decision.

Personally I feel the technology is neat, but I’m pretty much the typical guy when it comes to clothes shopping and rarely feel the need to share my decisions with anyone.  I imagine, though, this is niche-oriented toward women, especially young women and perhaps the fancier men out there, and I predict it will become very popular.  Look for the website shoptogether.com to launch later this year (2007) at a Nanette Lepore boutique in the United States.

How do you feel about this technology? Will people embrace it or shun it?  Leave your comments here.   

Today’s Boston Globe reports what was possibly an inevitable story: that the 99-year-old landmark Filene’s Basement store in Downtown Boston will shut for 1 to 2 years while the building is redeveloped. Unlike most of the tamer, modern Filene’s Basement stores that opened as part of the chain’s expansion, the original downtown Boston store is a true “basement,” with few adornments. Clothes are heaped into bins, there is no attempt to “merchandise” the space, and markdowns are taken automatically depending on how long an item has been in the store. The original Filene’s Basement is also the home of the famous “Running of the Brides,” an annual bridal gown markdown sale that frequently attracts national attention. Filene’s Basement is one of Boston’s major tourist destinations, and at this point may be its top retail-related tourist destination.

Unfortunately, the loss of Filene’s, its namesake chain upstairs (the two long ago split apart, though they maintained some synergy here) is forcing some changes. After the Federated/May merger, the Filene’s flagship store closed its doors because it was smaller and more outdated than the Macy’s flagship across the street (which was itself a Jordan Marsh store until 1996). Vornado Realty Trust purchased the vacant Filene’s building with the intention of redeveloping the entire block and replacing the store with a 38-story tower while mercifully maintaining the historic facade of the building.

Unsurprisingly, it’s going to prove much too difficult to keep the Filene’s Basement store open during construction, and while the current space–which is a dark, claustrophobic room with low-slung ceilings–isn’t normally the type of thing that inspires much nostalgia, it almost certainly will this time.

It will be interesting to see how this impacts the already-troubled Downtown Crossing shopping district, which also recently lost both Barnes & Noble and HMV, and suffered from the loss of the enclosed Lafayette Place shopping mall in the late 1990s. Most of the downtown retail activity in Boston now occurs just to the north, at the tourist-oriented Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall complex, or a mile to the west in the increasingly-successful Back Bay retail district. Many are skeptical the store will ever reopen, given the shiny, high-end prototype store that the chain opened there just months ago, between Newbury and Boylston Streets.

Given how long it’s been taking me to produce original content lately, I should probably be naming this post “Chinese Democracy.” Instead, as Mr. Prangeway joked to me earlier, this post is about the “Mall of the Least Resistance;” a center with a relatively small photo set that I can put together before I collapse into a pile atop my keyboard. I swear I won’t be so busy soon; I miss you guys.

Prince Georges Plaza–retitled in 2004 as The Mall at Prince Georges–is a successful, mid-tier mall located in the inner-ring Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, not far from College Park. Originally constructed as an outdoor plaza in the 1950s, the mall was enclosed at some later date. Sadly, my “research” on this mall is turning up quite little, so I may have to defer to the peanut gallery to fill in some details. Unlike a few malls we’ve posted about previously in Prince Georges County, such as the groovy Iverson Mall or the rubble pile over at Landover Mall, this one is located in the suburbs closest to DC’s Northeast quarter, and is not terribly far from College Park (and the Beltway Plaza, another distinctive old mall featured here before).

Despite the mall’s visible age, it appears as though it received a substantial renovation relatively recently, making things bright and shiny (and perhaps a bit boring). A 2002 article about the planned Target store at the center notes they’d replace the space vacated by G.C. Murphy, implying that the space was likely vacant a long, long time before Target arrived. The store finally opened in October 2004, according to this article about the mall’s $6 million renovation, which they peg as happening in 2004. The center mostly employs the classic single-dumbell design, although there are a few things that mix it up. The strange loop in the front of the mall (complete with a truly strange back hallway that hides the bathrooms) and various tucked-away big box anchors are somewhat unusual, as is the way that two of the three anchors are situated at the back of the mall yet in-line with the main concourse–a sure sign that the center began its life as an outdoor plaza.

My photos are somewhat unremarkable, partially due to the busy mall’s narrow main concourse. I did, however, manage to get a just-in-time shot of the Hecht’s store before the great switcheroo of 2006.

Gimme some history, boys and girls, so that I can go to bed.

Situated smack dab in the middle of the good ol’ U.S. of A., Kansas City is a rich tapestry of Americana and the result of many different historical and regional influences.  What originally began literally as a cowtown predicated upon the spread of agriculture and the railroad became a center for housing livestock and manufacturing amid a boom of industrialization.  As such, postwar growth allowed Kansas City to grow exponentially, virtually unchecked, with sprawl as far as the eye can see.  Today, the Kansas City area is home to over two million residents.

Much of this sprawl which occurred during the latter half of the 20th century included suburban retail growth.  While Kansas City, in many ways, pioneered the suburban lifestyle center with the 1920s opening and continued success of Country Club Plaza, explosive retail growth and enclosed malls in the suburbs also flourished for a time.  But eventually, problems arose around the turn of the millenium.

It appeared that Kansas City may have overmalled itself.  Of the 16 major centers in the metro area, only two of them are successful enclosed malls today, and they are on opposite sides of the metro area: Oak Park Mall in Overland Park and Independence Center in Independence.  Two malls have been de-malled completely in 2005 and 2006, respectively: Blue Ridge Mall in Kansas City and Mission Center in Mission.  The remaining 7 enclosed centers are in varying condition, from just barely making it to being almost completely unviable.  In fact, the idea for this case study is especially prescient.   In late 2006, plans were unveiled to de-mall three more enclosed malls: Metcalf South in Overland Park, Antioch Center Mall in Antioch and Metro North in Kansas City.  If those plans go through, that would bring the total to four enclosed malls which bit the dust in only a few years’ time, and that’s pretty substantial.  Featured below are all of the major shopping centers in the Kansas City metro area.  Lastly, we chose to include the mall in St. Joseph because it really is an extension of the northern KC Metro and less than half an hour from KCI Airport.

• 1. East Hills Shopping Center, St. Joseph - Anchored by Dillard’s, JCPenney, and Sears, this mid-tier mall serves all of northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas.  It is fairly well tenanted yet dated, and sits high atop a hill.
• 2. Leavenworth Plaza, Leavenworth - Once a small, local enclosed mall serving the immediate Leavenworth area and anchored by Sears, JCPenney, and Ace Hardware, this mall has fallen on hard times recently, losing both JCPenney and Sears.  The JCPenney space was retenanted to a gym, but the Sears space remains vacant.
• 3. Zona Rosa, Kansas City, MO - KC’s latest foray into what they perceive as New Urbanism, Zona Rosa shines as a popular mixed-use lifestyle center.  It opened in May 2004 and features several Big Box anchors surrounded by trendy restaurants and chain stores typically found in malls.
• 4. Metro North Mall, Kansas City, MO - Once the premier mall for the Northland, this two-level mall has fallen out of favor due to its dated decor and competition from nearby Zona Rosa.  Anchored by Macy’s, Dillards, and JCPenney, the mall features a very 1970s-themed center court with large balloons which float up and down.  Currently, plans are under way for a major redevelopment, which most certainly calls for de-malling.
• 5. Antioch Center, Kansas City, MO - Originally an open-air center opened in 1956, Antioch Center was enclosed in 1978.  Currently operating at only 30 percent capacity, the 800,000 square-foot enclosed mall will be razed in 2007 and replaced with an open-air strip mall half its size. 
• 6. Indian Springs Mall, Kansas City, KS - This musty old two-level relic really died about a decade ago, but has lived on catering to the local hispanic community.  In addition, some local government offices have also taken some space, but the mall remains largely untouched.  All of the anchors are vacant as well.
• 7. Blue Ridge Mall, Kansas City, MO - Another dated, wonderful retail relic of days gone by, Blue Ridge Mall closed in 2004 and was demolished in 2005.  It originally opened in 1958 and was anchored by The Jones Store, Montgomery Ward, and JCPenney.
• 8. Legends at Village West, Kansas City, KS - The newest of the KC Metro’s major shopping destinations, this open-air center is home to JCPenney, Target, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Cabela’s, and many typical mall stores.
• 9. Independence Center, Independence - One of two very successful, top-tier enclosed facilities in the KC Metro.  Anchored by Dillards, Macy’s, and Sears, the two level Independence Center wins points for a wide open floorplan and a subterranean food court.  
• 10. Mission Center, Mission - This smaller, 50-store two-level mall anchored by Dillards and…Dillards was mostly leased when it was closed and demolished in 2006 for a mixed use development called The Gateway.  Strangely, the website still exists even though the mall no longer does. 
• 11. Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO - Opened in 1922 as one of the first open-air shopping centers, this is where upscale KC goes to shop, see, and be seen.  The Plaza is an example of a pedestrian friendly, well done open-air center. 
• 12. Oak Park Mall, Overland Park - The other of two very successful enclosed centers in the KC Metro, and is anchored by JCPenney, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Dillards.  It is two levels and recently expanded to add the Nordstrom and more in-line space. 
• 13. Metcalf South Shopping Center, Overland Park - The backstory behind this aging tri-level center with an awesome floorplan is almost as interesting as the dated decor and almost completely abandoned in-line space at this mall anchored by Macy’s and Sears, just one mile away from the majorly successful Oak Park Mall.
• 14. Bannister Mall, Kansas City, MO - The last of the anchors at this long, aging two-story mall was Sears and it closed in March 2006.  The rest of the mall is currently hanging on by a thread and filled with mostly local, urban-wear establishments.  Many of the national retailers moved out long ago, but at least the fountains still run.  Plans have been made to renovate the mall several times, but have not panned out. 
• 15. Great Mall of the Great Plains, Olathe - This large, sprawling outlet mall opened in the 1990s and was an attempt to capitalize off the successes of the Mills centers which were popular at the time.  Unfortunately, this mall shot for the stars and got less than the moon as major success never really materialized.  It is, however, far from defunct.
• 16. Town Center, Leawood - This open-air center opened in 1996 and predates the lifestyle center craze as of late.  It features many upscale stores, including Dean & Deluca.
• 17. Ward Parkway Center, Kansas City, MO - This recently renovated enclosed mall retained most of the enclosed space upon renovation and features anchor stores Dillards, Target, and AMC Theatres, as well as big box stalwarts Dick’s, PetSmart, Old Navy, and others.  Prior to the renovation Ward Parkway Center was aging and in decline, and the renovation repositioned it into a neighborhood ancillary to more successful centers like Oak Park and The Plaza. 

Look for detailed posts soon on several of these malls, and use this case study to gain perspective and a general overview.  Overall, we feel that Kansas City is possibly one of the most extreme fringes of a national trend favoring mixed-use, lifestyle centers and strip malls to their enclosed counterparts.  As people in Kansas City dictate place-making policy for their shopping and entertainment purposes, they are increasingly choosing to reject the community-building places enclosed malls have provided and are instead selecting centers of convenience in a sea of parking lots.

Take a look at the list above of the major malls and shopping areas of Kansas City and the corresponding map (click on it to enlarge).  Have we left anything out?  Is anything incorrect?  Let us know, along with your general comments.       

Opened in 2002 near a former Belz Factory Outlets site, Festival Bay Mall is the Orlando area’s newest enclosed mall; however, it is anything but typical.  For one, its location almost certainly dictates Festival Bay Mall’s positioning.  Leased and managed by General Growth and owned by Belz, Festival Bay Mall is situated on the north end of International Drive (locally known as I Drive), a tourist-oriented strip loosely connecting Universal, Sea World, Orlando Convention Center and Disney areas.  Most of the businesses along I Drive attempt to grab the dollars of tourists who came to see Orlando’s theme park offerings, and consist of destination stores, outlet malls, and even the world’s largest McDonald’s.  In addition, two larger, more traditional malls with traditional anchors exist within 10 minutes of Festival Bay Mall: the massive Florida Mall and the very upscale Mall at Millenia, which opened in 2001. 

As such, the positioning of Festival Bay Mall is themed with the tourist in mind.  The larger anchor stores are destination specialty stores such as Ron Jon Surf Shop (with Surfpark opening in Summer 2007), Vans Skatepark, Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear, Putting Edge miniature golf, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Sheplers Western Wear, and a Cinemark 20-screen movie theater.  There’s even a small outpost of Hawaii-based Hilo Hattie, which bills itself as the store of Hawaii.  And although the anchors are non-traditional, the in-line offerings are much more typical of a suburban enclosed mall, with retailers like BCBG MaxAzria, Pac Sun, Icing by Claire’s, and Journeys.  The food offerings at the mall are also typical, with Auntie Anne’s pretzels, Villa Pizza, A&W/Long John Silver’s, and Fuddruckers. 

The layout of Festival Bay Mall is also unique.  The main entrance is off I Drive, and features a man-made lake which extends from the outside into the building’s center court, which is at the main entrance.  This is the first mall I have seen with a body of water which exists both outside and inside.  The center court also feels very grand and impressive with the lake as the centerpiece.  The floorplan of the mall itself is also atypical.  A hallway runs around the perimeter of the center in a circle, in addition to hallways which begin at center court and cut directly through the mall and reconnect at the circle.  Take a look at the directory picture for a reference.  It was definitely kind of fun getting lost here.

Another atypical feature of Festival Bay Mall is the vacancy rate.  For being less than five years old, the mall is alarmingly empty.  So much so, in fact, that there have been numerous mentions of this on both the mall’s deadmalls.com article and its Wikipedia entry.  Most brand new malls open with almost no vacancy as retailers clamor years in advance to put their stores in the new mall.  I would venture to blame the mall’s location and tourist-positioning for its relative inability to find stores.  Until now, that is.  It appears that Festival Bay Mall is finally on the upswing.  Many new stores are opening or are planned to open in 2007, which will hopefully fill the place up.  That said, at least one of the radials from center court is almost completely vacant. 

The pictures featured here were taken in January 2007.  Feel free to leave your own comments about Festival Bay Mall and how it’s progressing.